Excimer lasers have become the lasers of choice for many applications in the ultraviolet spectral region today. Excimer lasers generate ultraviolet lights by subjecting a mixture of noble and halogen gases to high-voltage electrical discharges. Under such conditions, the noble and halogen gases react to form unstable noble-gas halide dimers, which quickly disassociate to release ultraviolet lights.
Even though excimer lasers are quite useful, there are a few operational drawbacks associated with prior art designs. Some of these drawbacks result from the frequent high-voltage electrical discharges used in excimer lasers. These discharges tend to create sputtering of metal electrodes used in the lasers, with the sputtered materials being deposited inside the chamber impacting operation of the laser components. Furthermore, the sputtered material may react with halogen gases in the lasers to form metal halides, which removes one of the components of the lasing reaction and degrades the intensity of the light produced. Also, complex and expensive electrical components are required to generate and regulate these high-frequency high-voltage electrical discharges. Another drawback of these prior art lasers is that during operation negatively charged halogen gases may react with Silicon Oxide (SiO2) contained in the optical lenses of the lasers. These reactions may degrade the transparency of the lenses, thereby leading to a costly refurbishing process.